Stonewall Rebellion

Questions Required Viewing 1: Stonewall Rebellion (https://youtu.be/MIbAVS-cDBs)
1. What were some of the anti-gay laws and customs in place at the time of the Stonewall
Rebellion?
2. Why do some commentators in this documentary think the Stonewall Riots should be
called the Stonewall Uprising? What is the difference between a riot and an uprising?
Discussion Question Related to Required Viewing 2: The Stonewall You Know Is a Myth.
And That’s O.K. | NYT Celebrating Pride (https://youtu.be/S7jnzOMxb14)
Two opposing views about the myths that exist around the Stonewall Rebellion are voiced in this
10-minute documentary (https://youtu.be/S7jnzOMxb14).
On the one hand, there is Chrysanthemum Tran who discusses a photograph of an individual
holding up a sign that reads, “Trans men of color throwing bricks at cops gave me the right to get
married.’ Chrysanthemum Tran explains that people cling onto these narratives because trans
women of color are often already sidelined.” In the same vein, Tourmaline, writer and
filmmaker, notes that stories do not have to be real to be meaningful. Both agree that it doesn’t
matter what happened exactly during Stonewall and people should be free to create or reclaim
their own narratives, for empowerment purposes.
On the other hand, there is Robert Bryan, Stonewall participant, who remarks, “There were some
individual people of color. But it was not a group of trans people of color who started the rioting.
If people start telling stories not as they were, but they would like them to be, that procedure can
be used by anybody for any purpose. So I think that we need to be consistent in the truth.”
Similarly, David Carter, historian, notes “If we are demanding that our history be respected, then
we have to respect it ourselves. You have to apply the same criteria to our history, that it be wellresearched.”
In 100-150 words please answer the following questions: Where do you stand on this issue? Do
you agree with Chrysanthemum Tran and Tourmaline or do you share the opinion of Robert
Bryan and David Carter? In other words, is it O.K that everything you know about Stonewall is a
myth? Does it matter?

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